Past Time
There are four verb tenses that are used to show an action
that is in the past time. They are
1. Simple Past
2. Past Continuous
3. Past Perfect
4. Past Perfect Continuous
Simple Past
The Simple Past is used to show an action that happened once in the past and
is completed. The Simple Past is sometimes used with time expressions
such as yesterday, last, and specific times in the past.
To form the Simple Past tense of regular verbs, add -ED to the
base form of the verb.
With regular verbs there are three spelling changes that occur.
1. If the base form of the verb ends in an "E," then only a "D" is added.
(smile - smiled, like - liked)
2. If the base form of the verb ends in a "Y" and is preceded by a consonant,
change the "Y" to "I" and then add -ED. (study - studied, cry - cried)
3. If the base form of the verb is written Consonant Vowel Consonant (CVC),
the final consonant is doubled.
(bat - batted, shop - shopped) However, this rule does not apply to
verbs whose final consonant is w or x.
In the Simple Past there is a long list of verbs that are irregular. This
list can usually be found in the appendix of a grammar book. As in the
Simple Present, the Simple Past of the verb "be" is also irregular. The
forms are was and were.
Examples: The students registered for summer classes
last week.
The cafeteria closed yesterday at 8:00PM.
It was so cold this morning that I put on my heavy coat.
Simple Past Negative: Use didn't + the
Base Form of the verb The negative forms of the verb "be"
are wasn't and weren't.
Examples: The students didn't pay the full
amount at registration.
The bookstore wasn't open when I came to the college this morning.
The students didn't do their grammar assignment.
Simple Past Questions:
Use the correct word order to form questions in the Simple Past: Did +
Subject + Verb (Base Form). To form a question with the verb "Be" use
was or were followed by the subject. If the question
is asking for the subject, use the Base Form of the verb in the Simple Past.
Examples: Where did you buy that CD?
Did you get your username and password for the computer?
Were the students late for class, or did they come early?
Who answered that question?
What happened on the highway this morning?
Past Continuous Tense
We use the Past Continuous to show in action that is in progress in the past
and to describe actions in a narrative. In addition, the Past
Continuous form of the verb are often used with while to show two actions
that were in progress at the same time in the past. When a time clause
beginning with when is used with the Simple Past, the Past Continuous is used in
the main clause to show that one action was in progress when it was
interrupted by another action that is written in the Simple Past.
To form the Past Continuous, use (the Past Tense of the Be) was or were + the
base form of a verb + ing.
Examples: The students were studying the
grammar rules for the test.
It was raining so hard that I brought my umbrella.
While I was waiting for the bus, I was listening to my I
Pod.
I was listening to my favorite song when the battery died.
Past Continuous Negative: Add NOT
Examples: The children weren't wearing their
sneakers.
The man wasn't speeding when the police officer stopped him.
The bookstore wasn't selling any grammar books.
Past Continuous Questions:
To form questions use the correct word order: was or were + Subject +
Verb + ing except when asking about the subject.
Examples: Was the class meeting in Room 403 or in the lab?
Why were you crying so much when I called you last night?
Who was coming on the trip?
Whose cell phone was ringing during the test?
Past Perfect Tense
Use the Past Perfect to show an action that happened before another action in
the past. Never use the past perfect by itself in place of the Simple
Past. Common time expressions that are used with the Past Perfect are by,
by the time, before. To form the Past Perfect of verbs use (the Past Tense
of the verb have)
had + Past Participle of a Verb.
Examples: By the time I came to the United States, I
had already studied English.
By 2004, the woman had found a great job.
They had already missed the bus when they got to the stop.
Past Perfect Negative: Add NOT
Examples: They hadn't heard the weather report when the
teacher called to cancel the class.
The college hadn't canceled classes yet by 11:00AM.
By the time the store closed, it hadn't sold all of its fruits and
vegetables.
Past Perfect Questions:
Use the following word order: HAD + Subject + Past Participle of a Verb.
Examples: Why had they eaten all of the cookies
before I got home?
What had you studied by the time the Fall Semester began?
Where had you gone by lunch?
Past Perfect Continuous Tense
Use the Past Perfect to show an action that was in progress before another action
happened in
the past. Never use the Past Perfect Continuous by itself. This
tense is only used to show the duration of an event in the past. The time expressions that are used are
for and since. Although the Past Perfect can also be used in this
situation, the continuous tense is more common. To form the Past Perfect
Continuous, use (the Past Tense
of the verb have) had + (Past Participle of Be) been + a Verb + ing.
Examples: By the time I started at Union County
College, I
had already been studying English for
three years.
By 2006, the woman had been working as a doctor since 2000.
They had been waiting for a waiter for almost one hour when he came to the
table.
Past Perfect Continuous Negative: Add NOT
Examples: They hadn't been waiting for the bus for too
long when it came.
The man hadn't been selling cars for a week when he was fired.
By the time I got a raised, I hadn't been working there too long.
Past Perfect Continuous Questions:
Use the following word order: HAD + Subject + Been + Verb + ing.
Examples: Why had they been working there for three
years
before they got a raise?
Where had you been living before you moved to New Jersey?
How long had you been spending this much money before I found out ?